How to Write a Good Gig Report

Attend a musical gig to write a good report.

It is common for music teachers to give students an assignment to write a gig report on a musical concert, recital or performance that they attend. Writing a review of a gig gives students a chance to exercise their writing skills, while recapping specific moments of a show. While a good gig report provides a summary of the performance, there are other elements that you should include in your report to make your report more comprehensive, and tie it back to the lessons you learn in class.

Instructions

1. Describe the musical gig you attended in your introduction. Include the name of the performance, the name of the musician(s), the venue where the gig was performed and the date of the show. Write what type of performance it was, such as whether it was a ballet, opera, rock concert or a musical theater production.

2. Comment on the technical aspects of the performance in the second paragraph of your report. Write about the style that the music was played in, what types of instruments were used, whether the musicians performed renditions of historic pieces -- such as Mozart or Bach -- and how large the symphony was, if there was one. Or, if you witnessed a soloist, you can write about the soloist.

3. Tie your technical evaluation back to the lessons you learn in class. This shows your teacher that you are using his material and applying it to a real life event. For instance, if your music instructor taught the class about particular music tempos, talk about tempo in your technical paragraph. Or, if you are learning about stylistic periods in your class, include information about the stylized music that you heard.

4. Provide your own reaction to the gig in your third paragraph. Discuss whether you enjoyed the gig and why. Make your assessment based on what you know -- or have learned so far -- from class. You should talk about the type of emotions you felt from the music, how the music depicted character or story, whether there was a musical theme, if the conductor seemed to have things under control, if the musicians were in sync and any other musical and performance dynamics you can come up with. You must always back up your personal reactions with evidence from the gig.

5. Conclude your gig report by summarizing why someone would enjoy the performance. You might include in this final paragraph a sentence or two about the type of audience the gig caters to, and why.

6. Proofread your gig report. Make sure you have used the correct musical terms and conventions. Your teacher will be checking to see whether you include musical vocabulary words, such as ensemble, tempo and aria, as well as if your usage and conventions are accurate. Double check your work for grammatical errors and formatting, too.

Tips & Warnings

• Always read your teacher's report directions carefully. He may tell you specific items to include in your gig report, as well as some technical things to be aware of.

References

• McGraw-Hill Higher Education: What to Write - The Content of a Report
• McGraw-Hill Higher Education: How to Write about Music: Vocabulary, Usages, and Conventions